Alive in the Nightfall
by iannetine
Summary: What if the old man who took care of Tooya died before he could teach him about life, being a man and having a heart? Destiny will lead her to Aya. The rest is will be up to her.


--I do not own Ayashi no Ceres--

Alive in the Nightfall

There were no stars that night. The full moon glowed in an eerie pink similar to a precious robe of a heavenly maiden, floating deep below the ocean surface. For the first time, there was light in the dark waters. The robe started to absorb single celled bacteria.

Lifetimes have passed. It continued to absorb life, drifting in the underwater currents. It drifted to shallow waters, where it first greeted light since time immemorial. The robe had transformed into a baby. A pink membrane protected it from the oceans predators.

In the night, where the winds were fierce, the baby was washed away to the shore. An old fisherman docking his small boat had seen something glowing in the sand. He quickly approached it, but hesitated to pick it up when he saw it was a baby boy. At first he thought it was an ill omen, but seeing the gentleness on its sleeping face, had a change of heart and decided to take care of it.

The baby did not wake at all in the day, he did not even move, but he was breathing inside the membrane. He grew, not just in size, but grew older, for the baby was a toddler the next night. The old man did not believe what he was seeing.

At night, the old man came home with his daily catch of fish. He sold a few to buy milk for the baby in his shack. He was shocked to see that it grew older again inside the membrane. Everyday he grew. And in just nine nights, the baby had grown into a young man.

In the tenth night however, the old man came home to find that the membrane surrounding the man had disappeared. He woke up in his presence, sat up and turned to look at him. His skin was pale and his crimson hair was twice his height. His bright green eyes looked directly at him. The old man could not believe that it grew into man in just ten nights.

"Tooya," the old man said, "I'll name you Tooya, for ten nights."

The young man did not seem to understand him. "Tooya?" he repeated.

The old man was surprised that it spoke.

"Yes. Tooya -that will be your name."

The man had clothed him and cut his hair. Since then, the old man had first taught Tooya how to speak, read and write. "This…is…how…you…spell…Tooya?" Tooya had asked the old man. Tooya had never ceased to surprise the old man with his exceptional progress.

Weeks have passed. Tooya had been wondering why the old man had stayed in bed instead of fishing for the pass few days. He said to the old man, "Teach me…how to fish…" The old man smiled, and answered "I would love to but I do not have time... I am dying Tooya…"

"…die? pass away? when you go to the sky…in heaven?"

"Yes…" the old man said weakly, "I'm sorry for leaving you all of a sudden, I know you will survive without me, you are strong Tooya."

"I forgive you." Tooya recalled the phrase the old man taught him about responding to someone saying sorry.

The old man chuckled. "yes Tooya, that's right...I have taught you well and you have become a son I never had" The old man closed his eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you..."

"I know…to bury you...and remember you…that's what we do to those who pass away. Am I right…grandfather?"

"Grandpa? Where did you learn that?" the old man smiled once more. "Yes, bury me and remember me. I have so much to teach you Tooya, not about just death but about life, about love…" The old man painfully coughed. "But thank you Tooya…I had lived meaningfully when you came."

"It's nothing. You're welcome." Tooya, this time, remembered the response for 'thank you.'

The old man died with a smile on his face.

--oOo--

"What…should I do now?" He asked the old man's grave. Tooya always followed what the old man said to him. Now that he had finished burying the old man, he was clueless as to what to do without his instructions.

"Oh…grandpa said the dead do not speak…" he remembered. "I will never see the dead again…goodbye then." he remembered the greeting. "See you later."

Tooya unexpectedly felt something painful inside him. Tears of sadness had started to flow from his eyes.

"What's this? What's happening to me?" He looked at the teardrops on the sand.

"Why are you crying big brother?"

Tooya looked at the animal standing in front of him. Her voice was small and sweet, just like the birds chirping. Her golden hair was shining in the sun. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean. And her smile…removed all the pain in his heart.

"I left my hanky with papa…maybe this'll make you happy…" The animal handed her a shell.

Tooya stretched his right hand to receive the shell. The little girl still smiled. The old man had taught him to stay away from wild animals, but this one spoke, so it must be the same kind as the old man.

"What are you?" he asked the animal.

"I'm not a what! Who told you that? I'm a little girl. My name's Aya." The little girl shouted at him.

"Grandpa told me, he said to stay away from wild animals, so they don't attack me and die. Then he told me about death. He's dead now, so he can't teach me anything. Am I wild animal?" He asked the little girl. Tooya had wondered if he had killed the old man.

"Of course not! Were humans! We don't live in the jungle!" The little girl frowned and hugged him. She was warm and her hair smelled sweet. "Aww,, I'm sorry your grandpa died. If you want, I can share my grandpa with you!" The little girl made a big circle with her hands and became excited all of a sudden. "He's with my papa…we can go there now ahhh--- what's you're name big brother?"

"My name is…. Tooya."

"Come with me Tooya. I'll be going to school soon. I'll teach you EVERYTHING!!"

"Aya! Aya! Where have you gone to? It's getting dark, we have to go home before the waves get big. Aya!" a man was shouting.

"Oh NO!!" the little girl said. "I have to get back." She smiled at him.

The little girl ran to the man. Tooya could hear her shouting: "Papa! Papa! I found a new friend! Can he come with us? Huh? Papa?". The man answered "There you are! What? We don't have time for that honey. We have to go now." With that, the little girl and the man left.

Tooya, still sitting near the old man's grave, sat there until it became dark. He sat there for days. Recalling all the things the old man told him; thinking about the little girl, remembering her face, her smell, her voice.

_The man she called papa said they didn't have time. Maybe they will die too, just like the old man did. Then I must find her before she dies…and learn how to fish, how to live and…_He looked at the shell that the little girl gave him…_how to love…_

"Aya."

--oOo—

_Her papa said- before the waves get big…They must live in the ocean. _

Tooya had arrived to a conclusion. He can't wait to see the little girl again. Before the sun sets, Tooya went to ocean, swam a few meters, then dived. Being surrounded by water felt so natural to him, as if the water was his air. The pink membrane that formed his webbed hands and feet, enabled him to swim at a great speed.

He swam endlessly with the hope of finding the little girl. Countless sunsets and full moons have passed and he hasn't even seen a glimpse of the little girl. His eyes glowed with sharpness, and it has seen wrecked ships, sunken treasures, and never before seen underwater life forms. But had paid little attention to all of this, as he sought only for a little girl.

After swimming for miles and miles, Tooya decided to rest a bit in this small island.

_The little girl is not here. _He looked at the ocean. _There are no humans down there. They must live in land._

Tooya stood up immediately and proceeded to walk towards the heart of the island.

We walked and walked, determined that if he didn't stop, he would surely find the little girl. But still, there was no sign of her, even a shadow.

He arrived at a cliff that overlooked the whole island. Tooya walked to the edge of the cliff and looked below, to see the ocean again. _No humans here. _For once Tooya had felt disappointment and frustration as he couldn't see anyone. He had doubted if he could find the little girl; this is the first time he had felt like giving up.

"Will I…ever find you?"

He took out this shell Aya gave her. It made him remember how the aching in his heart seemed to go away at the sight of the little girl. He closed his eyes as the wind blew from his face. _Just the memory of her is enough to last me forever. _

Just then, the wind changed direction. The shell in his hand was blown away and started to fall down the ocean. Tooya's eyes widened as he watched it fall farther from him. Without second thought, jumped down the cliff to chase it. _Now I understand…I can't stop…I have to find her…finding her is the only thing that could make me stop…_ He reached out his hand and had caught the shell. He closed his eyes as he saw the ocean surface he was about to hit. But when he opened them, he found he had stopped mid air. He was flying. He had wings, white wings, like the angels do. It was a light feeling to be floating in the air. _Oh, right._ He thought as if he's just remembered something he forgot.

He flew high in the clouds and soared through the sky. He could definitely find her now using his wings. It is definitely faster than swimming or walking. He looked below, his sharp eyes likened that of the hawk searching for its prey.

At last, he saw humans; children just like the little girl. Tooya descended to the playground and looked around. He didn't see Aya there.

"Hey mister!" a human child asked him. "What happened to your clothes? You can't go around wearing something like that!"

Tooya was startled tp see this little boy was talking to him. It took him a long time before he could answer, as if he has forgotten how to speak. In an instant, all the children gathered around him in a circle.

"Whoa!" they said in unison.

Tooya looked at himself. The clothes the old man gave him were torn everywhere and had a big hole in its back; it had dirt here and there.

"You're handsome big brother!" a little girl told him. _Big brother? Aya also called me big brother. _"You should wear something red, like the color of your hair!"

"No! Make him wear something green, like his eyes!" the little boy said. All the children chuckled. Tooya's heart was lightened as their voices sounded like Aya's.

"When I grow up I want to marry someone as handsome as you!" a little girl said. .

"G- grow up?" he asked.

"You don't know big brother?!" the little girl almost shouted. Tooya thought children were always loud even if they were little.

"You eat vegetables and grow up!"

"No silly! You get older when you have a birthday!" another one shouted.

"Someday I'll be as big as you big brother! When you're big you can marry someone!"

--oOo—

Tooya spent the night hidden in the trees. All the children had gone when the sun set. He had been thinking about something the human child said about growing up. Tooya had no concept of time so he couldn't have possibly known. He never recalled being small like the children were; he has always been like this. He himself does not grow old.

_Now I see…_Tooya thought. T_hat's why I couldn't find her. She must be older now, and I'm still looking for a little girl. _

--oOo—

Tooya had found the set of clothes the fisherman gave him. _Something red. Something green._

Tooya went back to the little shack that the old man used to live in. The room was dusty and the sunlight could pass in the broken walls. He looked around and started to grasp the concept of time that the old man said he didn't have.

_I have to hurry. Aya doesn't have enough time too._ He thought remembering what Aya's papa has said.

With a last look on the grave of the old fisherman, he flew, even though he did not know where to look, even though he does not know where to go, he did not stop.

He had no idea that the wind blew in the direction that will finally end his search.


End file.
